FALL COLORS - Reel Footlake and Cache River State Park weekend tour!     

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Magnificent Kentucky and Illinois Landscape Adventure

Come with us for a short 3 day weekend trip to two very special natural wonders in Northwest Kentucky and Southwest Illinois. We’re going to Reelfoot Lake in KY and Shawnee National Forest in IL. These are two magnificent locations we’ve been to and you’ll be amazed at the scenery, the lake views, sunsets and sunrises, trees, wildlife, night sky, and the fun adventures we always have.

We are going for 3 days, 2 nights, Friday to Sunday October 17th – 19th, best of all, we drive you in our exclusive rental vans driven by our instructors so you can relax.

Hotel, transportation, and pizza dinner included.  We will split the other meals and send out a final bill ($50 - $100). Last time we had BBQ and a couple inexpensive lunches. The hotels do provide a free breakfast, but we may be up earlier than they provide.  We will get some snacks if necessary.

Our two key photography destinations:

1. Reelfoot Lake: Photographing sunrise and sunset at Reelfoot Lake, Tennessee is one of the most rewarding experiences in the region. The lake’s flooded bald cypress forests, glassy waters, and abundant birdlife give you both drama and serenity in your frames.

2. Heron Pond – Little Black Slough Nature Preserve: Photographing in this location is a unique experience because we’ll be entering one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood swamps in Illinois. The site has a quiet, almost ancient atmosphere, and the trees—especially bald cypress and tupelo—are the stars.

Schedule:

Friday October 17th: 

• Departure @ 10:00 am: We will leave from The Photo Pros at 10:00 am, stop for lunch and some interesting photo ops as we make our way to KY. We will arrive at our hotel just in time for dinner (included in your price – a fun pizza night)

o Note: Dinner will be either before or after sunset photo shoot

• Sunset @ 6:18 pm: We will photograph the sunset as it sets behind the lake. Depending on the weather and clouds, we will find a secluded field to shoot the stars.

Saturday October 18th: 

• Sunrise @ 6:40 am: Start early to capture the sunrise over the lake! We will shoot at various locations, photograph the landscape, the cypress trees growing from within the water, and the birds (it’s the peak of the pelican migration at the lake).  

• Mid-morning: Return to the hotel in time for a short break and check-out. We will then drive around the lake, and then through back roads exploring the area and looking for old barns and more as we drive towards Paducah, IL. 

• Lunch: We’ll stop somewhere along the way, rest and explore.

• Afternoon: Arrive in Paducah, IL, check-in and rest. We can do some small town exploring and look for an interesting sunset location.

Sunday October 19th:

• Check-out from the hotel early in time for sunrise. 

• Sunrise @ 7:05 am. Go to Heron Pond – Little Black Slough 

• Photographing the trees at Heron Pond – Little Black Slough Nature Preserve is a unique experience because it’s one of the largest remaining bottomland hardwood swamps in Illinois. The site has a quiet, almost ancient atmosphere, and the trees—especially bald cypress and tupelo—are the stars. 

• We will spend time photographing the trees, details, birds, mist, fog.

• Break for some much needed rest and drive through some small towns and back roads as we make our way back to St Louis. We will stop for lunch wherever the road takes us.

• Arrive back at The Photo Pros after a long and fantastic adventure.